India, Brazil to step up efforts on UN reform

New Delhi, Mar 30 (PTI) Seeking a greater global role, India and Brazil today agreed to step up efforts towards global reform, particularly of the UN Security Council. The two countries also agreed to further strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership and exploit to full potential in areas such as trade, education, defence, space and nuclear energy. During their 90-minute talks, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff also set a trade target of 15 billion dollars by 2015 and noted that bilateral trade and investment had grown by leaps and bounds. The two sides also signed six documents to enhance cooperation in the fields of science and technology, education and culture. Noting that India and Brazil had emerged as "new growth poles" of the evolving global economy, Singh said he and Rousseff agreed to enhance consultations on reform of global governance system, particularly in the context of UN reforms and in the G-20 process. "We have agreed to step up our efforts, particularly towards the reform of the United Nations Security Council as G-4 partners," the Prime Minister said. The two leaders also undertook a comprehensive review of bilateral relations, including the work of the inter-governmental Joint Commission Meeting which met last December in New Delhi. "We directed our officials to take specific steps to exploit the full potential in areas such as trade, education, science and technology, environment, defence, space and nuclear energy," the Prime Minister said. Singh said he discussed various global developments with Rousseff and there was high degree of convergence in their perspectives. "We are convinced that a resolution to the crisis in West Asia can only be achieved through dialogue and consultations," Singh said. Noting that the two countries shared common perspectives on envrionmental issues, Singh assured Rousseff of India's full support to make the Rio+20 Conference on sustainable development to be hosted by Brazil in June a success. Noting that bilateral trade and investment flows have grown by leaps and bounds, Singh said he and Rousseff were in "full agreement that these can be enhanced even further." "We agreed to take measures to promote greater business interaction," he said. The two countries also decided to reconstitute the India-Brazil CEOs Forum. Bilateral trade reached an unprecedented figure of USD 9.2 billion in 2011. India and Brazil also agreed to exchange experiences in the implementation of various social welfare programmes. Singh appreciated Rousseff's initiatives 'Science without Borders' which is aimed at upgrading scientific and technological talent. "We look forward to receiving Brazilian students in our institutes of science and engineering," he said. A Memorandum of Understanding in this regard was signed after the meeting of the two leaders. Later, a joint statement said the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the reform of the UN, particularly the Security Council, through its expansion in the permanent and non-permanent categories, with increased representation of developing countries in both in order to improve its representativeness, and legitimacy, and for it to better meet the contemporary challenges faced by the global community. "The Leaders reiterated mutual support for their countries' aspiration to permanent membership in an expanded UNSC," it said. They also called for enhanced Security Council procedures in order to monitor and assess the manner in which resolutions are interpreted and implemented. They supported the idea that the concept of Responsibility while Protecting (RwP) should be discussed further at the UN. Singh and Dilma Rousseff expressed deep concern over the international economic and financial crisis and underlined the importance of maintaining close contact in the G-20 meetings. "They recognised that there exists considerable untapped potential for greater trade exchanges considering the size of the two economies and also the total volume of foreign trade in both countries," the statement said. Expressing satisfaction over ongoing cooperation in defence, India and Brazil reiterated their desire to jointly collaborate in training as well as exchange of information on peace keeping operations and other areas of mutual interest. They also agreed to explore possible cooperations in the areas such as space, nuclear propulsion, cyber-defence and defence systems, among others. PTI Caption for pic: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff (centre) with India's President Pratibha Patil (right) and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the ceremonial welcome of the visiting dignitary at the President's House in New Delhi on Friday. PTI Photo